Zhou Yan said with a smile, his face beaming, and then he began to work.
...
Deep within the sea of sand, inside a massive sand pit.
Streams of bright red blood gushed from the pit and quickly converged, forming small, humanoid skeletons.
These skeletons were naked, mere bone structures without flesh. Their hands and feet had turned completely white, appearing extremely ferocious.
These humanoid skeletons were constantly absorbing the surrounding sand. A thick aura of death emanated from them, indicating they had been dead for a long time, yet their bodies retained their original appearance from life.
"These humanoid skeletons should be the guardian beasts of this sand island."
Zhou Yan glanced at the humanoid skeletons and then crouched down, beginning to dig.
After digging several pits in the sand, Zhou Yan then filled the hollows in the sand with soil, creating a large, circular, net-like pit.
Next, Zhou Yan sprinkled sand into the pit, leaving a hollow at each end.
After completing these steps, Zhou Yan scattered the soil into the sand pit.
"Rumble!"
With a deafening roar, the entire sand dune cavern trembled violently. Sand billowed and swirled, obscuring the entire cavern.
The humanoid skeletons within the sand dune cavern struggled intensely, emitting shrill screams as if protesting Zhou Yan. However, Zhou Yan did not stop, continuing to bury the humanoid skeletons.
Another deafening sound echoed, and the walls of the entire sand dune cavern suddenly cracked open. Endless yellow sand surged forth, and the entire cavern collapsed. Waves of yellow sand poured down, landing on the humanoid skeletons.
The humanoid skeletons struggled, but they found it futile.
In just a short while, all the humanoid skeletons were buried by the yellow sand.
"Hahaha, it's finally done. It seems I, as their master, am quite clever."
Zhou Yan looked at the sand pile, clapped his hands, and burst into laughter.
These humanoid skeletons were demonic beasts from the sea of sand, but they had long lost their sentience, constantly absorbing surrounding soil and stones, corroding everything around them. However, how could this sand resist Zhou Yan's refining? This sand pit was merely an appetizer. With enough sand, these humanoid skeletons would eventually be killed by Zhou Yan.
In high spirits, Zhou Yan flew directly out of the sand dune cavern.
"This should be the outskirts of the sand island."
Zhou Yan stood on a sand dune, gazing into the distance, feeling quite pleased. The humanoid skeletons on the sand island had all been eliminated. Now, only the large sand pit in the center of the island, the island's periphery, and the small island by the sea remained. Once these were completed, this island would belong to him.
Zhou Yan's target was that small island. He planned to build a large town there, which would require a grand architectural complex.
Having made up his mind, Zhou Yan began to act, digging on the beach.
This beach was unremarkable. Zhou Yan only spent half an hour to excavate it completely.
"Phew! I'm exhausted."
Zhou Yan panted heavily and then headed towards the small island.
Zhou Yan's pace was slow. After all, it was his first time building a city, and he didn't know what scale it could reach or how much it could withstand in terms of attacks. Therefore, Zhou Yan had to proceed with caution.
Soon, Zhou Yan approached the small island.
At this moment, Zhou Yan could clearly see the appearance of the island.
The island was oval-shaped, gently undulating on the sea surface.
"This sand island is truly peculiar. Such a small island can actually float on the sea. This is simply a miracle."
Zhou Yan couldn't help but exclaim, but a sense of unease also welled up within him.
If the sand island was too large, how difficult would it be to build a major city on it?
Although he possessed the Divine Dragon's Fire, this was the Great Desolation Ancient Realm, a landmass. His flames couldn't burn the ocean, and he dared not easily unleash fire-elemental attacks. Therefore, he could only rely on his physical strength to build the city, which was far too dangerous.
"Ah, well, I'll take it one step at a time. Anyway, as long as I have this sand dune cavern, I won't have to worry about food and drink in the future. Moreover, I can obtain a large amount of sand and build many cities. That way, I'll have more resources to refine my Divine Dragon's Fire."
Zhou Yan mused to himself and continued on his way.
Soon, Zhou Yan reached the periphery of the small island.
With a wave of his hand, the surrounding yellow sand dissipated, revealing the island's appearance.
The island was oval-shaped, and its entire perimeter was encircled by a thick sand wall, tens of meters high and several kilometers wide.
Zhou Yan stood outside the sand wall, observing it closely. The more he looked, the more astonished he became.
The sturdiness of this sand wall surpassed his imagination. Even he couldn't budge such a thick sand wall, tens of meters deep.
This defensive power was far greater than any sandcastle he had ever seen.
"No wonder the people on this sand island were unwilling to leave. It turns out they were afraid of such formidable defenses. This place is truly too safe."
Zhou Yan was filled with joy.
"However, since this is the core of the sand island, there must be many treasures within. Perhaps I can find an opportunity to break through my bottleneck or a method to improve my cultivation from these treasures."
Zhou Yan's heart was filled with anticipation.
He then began to try, attempting to break through the sand wall.
The sand wall was thick. Zhou Yan smashed it with all his might for a long time but couldn't budge it.
Zhou Yan frowned, "It seems this sand wall is made of some special material. Perhaps only the bones of a Divine Dragon can destroy it."
Zhou Yan pondered for a moment and decided to temporarily give up attacking the sand wall, preparing instead to find an entrance to the sand cliff's interior.
There should still be some treasures inside the sand cliff, but those treasures would be deep within.
Zhou Yan wandered around the sand cliff. He discovered that the sand cliff was a circular platform with a diameter of about a hundred meters. This platform was covered with green vegetation, and there were sand pillars, but these sand pillars were merely phantoms.